Kasturi Haldar

Fulfilling A Mission

Haldar with students in her lab.

“Dedicate some of your life to others,” Thomas A. Dooley, the 1948 Notre Dame alumnus and physician who became internationally famous for his devotion to the poor of Southeast Asia, his fondness for the University’s Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and his cheerful acceptance of death at 34 years of age, once said. “Your dedication will not be a sacrifice. It will be an exhilarating experience because it is an intensive effort applied toward a meaningful end.”

Today, in the laboratories of the University’s Galvin Hall, a team of researchers are expending intensive effort toward the meaningful goal of addressing the rare and neglected diseases of the world.

The Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases seeks to fill a gaping hole brought on by the economics of healthcare. Although many people across the globe are suffering and dying from certain diseases, these diseases have been largely ignored by pharmaceutical companies because the potential financial rewards for developing new drugs and vaccines to treat them are paltry.

The mission of the Center is to developing therapies for these rare and neglected diseases and to develop outreach efforts to those suffering from them,” Kasturi Haldar, Julius Nieuwland Professor of Biological Sciences and founding director of the Center said. “There are very few treatments for rare diseases. Neglected diseases disproportionately affect people in grinding poverty. The result is a gaping hole in world healthcare and Notre Dame is uniquely positioned to fulfill this mission.”

Haldar, who was Charles E. and Emma Morrison Professor of Pathology at Northwestern University before joining the Notre Dame faculty in 2008, points out that there are thousands of rare diseases, typically defined as those which afflict less than 200,000. Diseases in this category include cystic fibrosis, thalassemia, Niemann-Pick C disease and several rare forms of cancer.

“Neglected diseases disproportionately affect people in grinding poverty. The result is a gaping hole in world healthcare and Notre Dame is uniquely positioned to fulfill this mission.”

Neglected diseases, on the other hand, affect billions worldwide but like rare diseases, they have been largely ignored by pharmaceutical companies and researchers. Many who suffer from neglected diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and lymphatic filariasis live in the developing world.

As part of its effort to develop programs to address rare and neglected diseases, the Center has struck up a partnership with a major pharmaceutical company. The venture combines Notre Dame’s strong basic research expertise in drug and vaccine targets and the company’s deep knowledge of discovering, developing and delivering drugs to the public.

The Center also provides Notre Dame undergraduates with an opportunity to gain familiarity with rare and neglected diseases. Haldar explained that preprofessional students interested in medical careers have been doing clinical research examining clinical records on rare and neglected diseases. They help clinicians by carrying out such reviews. The students gain clearance for human subjects research while collecting important medical data that can be used in clinical trials.

In addition to promoting innovative research leading to novel diagnostics and drugs for rare and neglected diseases, the Center also aims to raise awareness of such diseases.

“We seek to become advocates for those with neglected diseases like malaria and lymphatic filariasis and rare conditions like Niemann-Pick,” Haldar said. “Filling the void in drug and vaccine research that could help millions around the globe and making people more aware of their suffering fits Notre Dame’s mission really well.”